Forest fire in Cervià de les Garrigues stabilised after burning 33 hectares, eight evacuated
A vegetation fire in Cervià de les Garrigues (Lleida) that broke out on Sunday afternoon was stabilised by 19:00, affecting around 33 hectares and prompting the evacuation of eight residents.
Fire outbreak
Emergency services received the first alert at 14:47 on Sunday 14 June, reporting a vegetation fire in Cervià de les Garrigues, in the Lleida province of Catalonia. The blaze, pushed by a southerly wind, advanced through agricultural and forest land. Initial estimates from the Agents Rurals put the affected area at roughly nine hectares.
Emergency response
The Catalan fire brigade (Bombers de la Generalitat) deployed around 30 ground crews and seven aerial units, including four water-bombing helicopters, three surveillance and attack planes and a command helicopter. Crews focused on containing the right flank of the fire and protecting buildings on its left side. Wind conditions complicated the effort and forced teams to work quickly to prevent the flames from reaching inhabited zones.
Evacuations and confinements
By late afternoon the Mossos d'Esquadra had evacuated eight residents as a precaution. At around 17:00, Protecció Civil issued an ES-Alert mobile-phone message ordering residents of the Partida de la Devesa area to confine themselves indoors, close doors and windows, and follow the authorities' instructions. Two local roads — the LP-7032 between Albi and Cervià and the LV-7031 between Cervià and Borges — were cut to traffic.
- Fire reported, driven by south wind; first response mobilised
- ES-Alert sent; residents of Partida de la Devesa ordered to confine
- Fire stabilised; provisional affected area 33 hectares
Stabilisation and final scale
By 19:00 the fire was declared stabilised. The latest provisional data from the Agents Rurals raised the burned surface to about 33 hectares. The Bombers remained on site with 37 crews, eight of them aerial, to mop up hot spots and secure the perimeter. No personal injuries have been reported.
Other fires in Catalonia
Earlier on Sunday, the Bombers had brought under control a separate forest fire near Vilafranca del Penedès (Barcelona), in the Serreta area, where 14 ground crews and one aircraft worked on a blaze that was partially slowed by terrain already burned the previous year. On Saturday, another fire in Sanaüja (Segarra) was also controlled. The sequence of incidents keeps emergency services on alert at the start of a summer campaign marked by rising temperatures.
